Machine for dispensing rodlike articles, such as sugarcane setts



Nov. 1l, 1952 R. s. L. HULETT 2,617,556

MACHINE FCR DISPENSINC RODLIKE ARTICLES, SUCH As SUCARCANE sETTs S'Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 6, 1950 INVENTOR.

Wdrbaexme 5. L #das 77' NOV. 11, 1952 R, s, L, HULETT 2,617,556

MACHINE FOR DISPENSING RODLIKE ARTICLES, SUCH AS SUGARCANE SETTS Filed May 6, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 N m. 3 Q I" w INVENTOR.

Nov. 1l, 1952 R. s. L.. HULETT 2,617,556

MACHINE FOR DISPENSING RODLIKE ARTICLES, SUCH AS SUGARCANE SEITTS Filed May 6. 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR.

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Nov. 11, 1952 R. s. 1 HULr-:TT

MACHINE FOR DISPENSING'RODLIKE ARTICLES, SUCH AS SUGARCANE SETTS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 6, 1950 INVENTOR.

Nov. l1, 1952 R. s. l.. HULETT 2,617,556

MACHINE FOR DISPENSING RODLIKE ARTICLES, SUCH AS SUGARCANE SETTS Filed May 6. 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN V EN TOR.

throat.

Patented Nov. 11, 1952 MACHINE FOR DISPENSING RODLIKE AR- TICLES, SUCH AS SUGARCANE SETTS Rutherford S. L. Hulett, Umhlal, Natal, Union of South Africa Application May s, 195o, serial No. 160,454 In the Union of South Africa May 10, 1949 4 Claims.

The invention relates to machines for dispensing individual rod-like articles from a mass of such articles and relates particularly to the planting of sugar cane setts.

As far as the applicant is aware, no successful. fully-mechanised planting machine for planting sugar cane setts has yet been achieved, and it is the object of the present invention to provide such a machine.

According to the invention, a machine for dispensing individual rod-like articles in succession from a mass of such articles consists in a hopper for the mass the width of which exceeds the length of the articles to be dispensed, a discharge passage from the hopper communicating with the hopper through an elongated throat long and wide enoughto pass a single article at a time, a hinged element at the throat, a spring biasing theV element to a position in which it obstructs ha the throat; 'a feed roller rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a number of radial proj ections the orbit of which intersects the path of articles gravitating down the sloping floor to the throat, the shape of the projections and their direction of rotation being such that one article at a time is engaged and propelled downwardly into the throat; an isolating roller above the throat rotatable about a horizontal axis in the direction opposite to that of the feed roller and having a series of circumferentially spaced radial projections the orbit of which intersects the path of articles that have passed ythe feed roller and are approaching the throat, and means to displace the hinged element and to propel each article in turn through the throat.

Further according to the invention, the-,ejecting means consists in several parallel flexible bands mounted for movement transversevto the length of the throat vand the surfaces of.' which are adapted frictionally to engage articlesrin the Y throat and propel them through the throat.

The invention also includes a roller arranged in the path of the gravitating articles, the periphery of which is shaped to engage and align the articles to be parallel with the throat, the

axis of the aligning rollerl being parallel with the axes of the feed and isolating rollers.

From the hopper, the articles gravitate towards the throat (e. g. down an inclined floorjsloping towards the throat) and as they approach it the;1 are engaged by an aligning means which corrects any deviation from parallelism with the After having been thus aligned, the articles in turn pass to the feed rollerlfwhich propels them towards and through the throat.

Only one article at a time is permitted to the throat. This is achieved by an isolating means which periodically retracts to allow a single article to enter the throat, and then holds back the following articles until the occupant of the throat has been ejected. l'

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure I is a part plan view;

Figure II is a front end elevation;

Figure III is a view from one side;

Figure IV is a View from the opposite side Figure V is a vertical section on the line V--V, Figure I; and

Figure VI is a perspective view of the planting means.

The machine illustrated includes a frame 2, mounted on a pair of landwheels 3, keyed on `to a common axle 4; and a drawbar 5 to hitch the machine to a tractor. The frame 2 carries a coulter 6 which, on forward movement of themachine, digs-a furrow 1(Figures I and V). The frame may also carry fertiliser-dispensing mechanism which, as it is impertinent to this application, is not illustarted.

An endless chain conveyor 8 is mounted on the frame 2, for movement around a spaced pair of sprockets 9 (see Figure V). Cane setts I0 to be planted are fed on to the conveyor 8, and drop therefrom into a hopper Il. Referring to Fig. I. the hopper contains a moveable plate I2, with an upwardly directed handle I3,l and attached to the rear of rthe plate is a. guide rod I4, slidably mounted in a bearing I5. Y

When the hopper has received a chargev of setts, the plate I2 is moved to sweep out the hopper and propel the setts from the hopper on to an inclined platform I6 (see Figure V) which is flanked by parallel side walls IBb carried bythe frame 2.

On being launched on to the platform, the setts I0 sort themselves out and roll downwardly more or less in single file, as shown in Figure V. During their descent, they come up against lan aligning roller I1 which is formed with a series of parallel recesses I8 spaced circumferentially around its periphery. Each sett in turn, as it makes contact with the roller Il` is engagedbyV one of the recesses Iilgand is aligned bythe shoulder Illa of the recess to lie in the directionof the furrow 'l, that is to sayin the direction of forward movement of the machine. Rotation of the roller I1, combined with gravity, movesthe aligned set forward, over the roller and on to a feed roller I9 of quatrefoil enter 3 cross-section, which propels each sett in turn into a pocket defined by the roller I9, the terminal part IGa of the inclined platform, a spring loaded flap 2 I, and a pair of chains 22.

Each sett in turn enters the pocket and is there isolated from the sett or setts following it down the slope by a selector mechanisrrrconsisting of a roller 23fwh'ich'has a series of spaced parallel radial projections which, in the embodiment illustrated, are curved leaf spring lingers 24 secured to the surface of the roller 23., The

ngers are spaced apart both crcumferentially' and in the axial direction to leave spaces for the chains 22.

The rotation of the roller 23 is opposite to that of the rollers Il and I9 so that the lingers 2,4 sweep out a path which is such that. the following sett comes within its orbit and is repelled away from the pocket 20, or at least retarded from entering it, so as to, prevent the following vsetts fromjamming atfthe entrancek to thepocket.

t Thev sett in the ,pocket is frictionally engaged by the chains (which are moving downwardly) and is propelled through the throat 25 resulting from depression of the flap 2|- against the resistance of the torsion spring Ztiwhich biases the ap to close :the throat but which yields to; allow the flap to be displaced to pass. thesett.

The flap is curled around a rod 2l jjournalled in the side walls Iiibr. The spring is anchored on a collar 28, which is screwed on to the: rod 2l outside one of the side walls Ib, and. on a stop 29 on the walL Thetension of the spring may be adjusted by altering the angularity of .the collar 28: relatively to the rod 2l.

The upward movement of the ap 2| towards the cha-ins 22 is limited by an arm 30 projecting radially from the rod, and making contact with a stop SI on the side wall Ib.

The effective width of the pocket 2.0 may be adjusted Yto suit setts of different.y diameters, by moving the selector rollerv 23 towards or away yfrom the feed roller I9, and locking it inthe adjusted position.k `For this purpose, the pin 3-2 on which the roller is mounted is j'ournalledin blocks 33 which are slidably arranged in slotted guides 3d. The blocks are held in position by means of a set screw engaged with one. end wall of each block, and which presses the block away from the feed roller i9` against theresistance of a compression spring 35.

The construction described has the advantage also that if an oversize sett approaches the pocket, the selector roller 23 is able to yield resiliently toallow the sett to pass into and be propelled from the pocket. Y

It is pointedV out that the chains 22 have sufficient slack and flexibility to allow them to be deected in the neighbourhood of the pocket, by the pressure of the sett on the chains, as is well illustrated in Figure V.

The chains are simultaneouslypressed against the periphery of. the selector roller 23 in the spaces between Ythe ngers 2d so that the chains are curved around an. are ofthe sett. This acts to increase the frictional engagement. with the sett which propels the latter through the throat 25.

The sett enters the throat '25 parallel with the various rollers I'I, I9 and 23. As it passes through the throat, one end' of it, that numberedv Iliain Figures II and VI, displaces a leaf spring 3'! arranged in its path, and is momentarily retarded, relatively to Ithe other end 1th so that the sett emerges from the throat 25 in an inclined posi- 'i as shown in Figure VI while the end Illa is still up in the air or even still engaged by the spring 3l. The sett then pivots about the end IIlb until it comes to rest in the furrow, aligned with the length of the latter, as shown at I 0c in Figure VI.

The next succeeding sett then enters the pocket 25v at a moment: when thel fingers 24- are so positi'oned as toallow the sett to slip past the roller 23 without being retarded or repelled by the ngers which, however, obstruct the following sett, as above explained.

In case setts'build up above the pocket, a fence is provided lto stop setts from fouling the chains.

This fence consists 0f a series of parallel pickets 38 more or less in the plane of the chains. The lower ends of. the pickets terminate just above Ithe orbits. of theY iingers 24, and the leaf spring 31 is mounted on one of the pickets 38.

The. driving arrangements for the various moving parts described are particularly clearly illustratedin Figure' I, but can, also Abe seen in. the otherl gures.

The drive is taken from `the axle 4 by' a sprocket; through a chain 4.0: to.A a. sprocket 4=I on acountershaft 42., v

The drive is transmitted to a shaft 43L at right angles. to the countershait through bevel. gears 4. The. shaftv lli;v carries' the aligningroller' and a gear which meshes with a gear 46 on a stu-b shaft il journalled in one side wall IGbf.. The shaft /i-'l also carries a sprocket 48 which througha chain 4S drives a sprocket 5l]- on a shaft 5:I The sprockets 52 which drive the chains 22: are mounted on the shaft 5I.` The upper sprockets 53 arel idlers enY a shaft 54 journalledin the side walls [6b. I

The shaft 5I extendsA rearwardly and `towards its end it carries a sprocket 55. which,` through a chain 55, drives the sprocket onthe same shaiit 5'! on which one of the chain conveyor'y sprockets 9 is mounted.

The shaft 43 alsof carriesv a sprocket 58. which, through a chain 59, drives the shaft 6d on. which the roller I9 is mounted.

The drive for the selector roller 23 isv taken from the shaft Se through the chain 6I, which chain is tensioned by a jockey rolle-r 6-2, -to enable. the selector roller 3 to be adjusted, as abovedescribed.

The driving arrangements described .include two clutches, one 63 betweenA the rear axle 4y andl the countershaft 42;' and the otherl 674 between the shaft 5I the conveyor 8.? Thus, the planting mechanism'may be declutched as a whole, or merely the drive to the conveyor to enable the plate I2 to sweepl out the hopper II from time to time.

The ratio of 'theV dri/ve. between the axle 4 and the various moving parts of the machine maybe made variable,` to enable the spacing of the; planted. setts to beV varied.

I claim:

1. A machine for dispensing individual rodli-ire articles from a mass of such articles', including a hopper for width of which exceeds the iength: of the individual articles of the mass', and the door of which slopes dowwardly; a discharge passage at the lowest point of the floor that constitutesan' elongated throat lon-g and wide enough to pass a single article at time. a. hingedx element at the throat, a spring bia ing the element to a position in which itobst cts tlethroat; a feed roller rotatable about a horizontal axis and having a number of radial projections thev orbit of which ne mass of articles, the Y 5 intersects the path of articles gravitating down the sloping floor tothe throatL the shape ofthe projections and their direction of rotation being such that one article at a time is engagedzvand propelled downwardly into the throat; any-'lisolating roller above'the throat rotatable about a horizontal axis inthe direction opposite to T that of the feed roller arid having a series of circ/umferentially spacedgflradial projections the Lgfnirbit of which intersects; the path of articles thathave passed the feed roller and are approaching the throat; and article `expelling means at said throat spaced from said liinged element a distance less than the transverse dimension of the article to expell the article? and displace the elemnt.

2. The machinff claim l in which the expelling means consists in several parallel ilexible bands mounted for movement transverse to the length of thegl'throat and the surfaces of which are adapted frictionally to engage articles ln the throat Aand propel them throlgh the throat. f

3. The machine claimed in claim 2 in which each flexible band/,is an endless chain the links of which engage the article to be propelled.

4. The machine claimed in claim 1 including a roller arranged in the path of the gravitatingr articles and the periphery of which is shaped to engage and align the articles to be parallel with the throat, the axis of the aligning roller being parallel with the axes of the feed and isolating rollers.

RUTHERFORD S. L. HULE'I'I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of Srecord in the iile of this patent: Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number ame l Date 1,619,488 Ruetz Mar. 1, 1927 1,678,643 Kassebeer July 31, 1928 2,419,242 Woodbeery et al. i Apr. 22, 1947 2,519,929 Redler Aug. 22, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country ,y Date 327,336 Italy July 11, 1935 521,536 Germany Mar. 24, 1931 

